Robert Conrad Said It Was 'Grand Theft' Getting Wife of 27 Years Who Called Him 'Partner' after His Death

• "That wasn't robbing the cradle," said Robert Conrad.

• Conrad's second marriage lasted for 27 years.

• Following his death, his second ex-wife called him "partner" in a tribute to him.

Film and stage star Robert Conrad made his intentions known live on television to impress his future wife, and the pair were married for over twenty years after that.

Television actor Robert Conrad committed grand theft to get his wife of 27 years, La Velda Fann. The couple met in 1978 when she was a 17-year-old Miss National Teenager, and he had flown to Atlanta to emcee the pageant at which she would be passing her crown.

Conrad was 43 years old then and was a married man. He revealed to People in March 1988 that he boldly asked Fann live on air when she would be turning eighteen.

Fann told him that she would be celebrating her eighteenth birthday "in a week," and he asked her to give him a call which "she didn't," said Conrad. He took it upon himself to contact her:

"That wasn't robbing the cradle. It was grand theft."

Conrad married his first wife, Joan Kenlay, in 1952, and together they welcomed five children, Christian, Christy, Joan, Nancy, and Shane. However, the pair divorced in 1977.

READ: Robert Conrad Was a Strict & Old-School Father of 8 Kids, One of Whom He 'Raised' on Set of 'Wild Wild West'

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Conrad & Fann Had a Long Marriage That Ended in Divorce

Soon after, the stuntman started dating Fann, and the couple wed in 1983. Following their move to Bear Valley, the couple welcomed three kids together, daughters; Camille, Chelsea, and Kaja.

Per the New York Post, in March 2015, one of the couple's daughters, Chelsea, was involved in a custody battle between her former boyfriend, Noah Szubski, for their 5-year-old Doberman named Cash.

Chelsea sued her ex-lover for custody of the dog and revealed that Szubski was abusive in their relationship. Her lawyer, Mia Poppe, told a judge that she feared the former media mogul would beat her if she attempted to take the canine after they parted ways.

However, Szubski's attorney, Stephen Silbertein, argued that Chelsea "abandoned" Cash when she moved out, leaving her to live with Szubski. After that, the dog continued to live with Chelsea despite the judge's order to hand it over to Szubski.

While she and Szbuski broke up, Chelsea's parents also parted ways and divorced in 2010. Fann moved on and found a new man in her life.

In September 2019, the mother of three posted on her Instagram announcing that she was a married woman again while flaunting her wedding band. She also shared another photo showing her and her new spouse beaming and captioned the post:

"It's official! #heputaringonit."

Per Express, Fann and Conrad split after 27 years of marriage. He then decided to start afresh and move out of his Malibu home to retire and relocate to Europe.

Conrad told America's National Enquirer that he liked Spain as he had filmed "a movie there once" and fell in love with the place. Hence he wanted to go there again once he retired.

"The Wild Wild West" alum also expressed his desire to find love again once he got there while noting that he had been unhappily divorced for four years:

"I'd love to have a good woman in my life right now. I'd like to have one last love before I go."

READ: Robert Conrad Wed 25-Years-Younger 2nd Wife He Met at Teenage Show & Brought Her to a Secluded Town

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Sadly, the Chicago native passed away on February 8, 2020, at his home in Malibu, California. The father of eight was 84 years old. Per The New York Times, Conrad died from a heart attack, said a family spokesman, Jeff Ballard.

Just a month after his passing, his former wife, Fann, paid a heartfelt tribute on social media, penning a lengthy post in memory of the Hollywood icon.

The Alabama native

to the father of her kids as "my partner," sharing that Conrad "taught" her many things about herself:

"Rest in peace, partner. You taught me well. Because of you, I know I can be bruised but not broken. My worth cannot be measured by another's opinion. I have the strength and courage to be myself every day of my life."

The doting mom also thanked Conrad for challenging her, including "the greatest gift of all," their children. "Thank you for the challenge and for the greatest gift of all; Kaja, Camille, and Chelsea."

Fann posted several throwback photos of her and Conrad from their time together along with the post. One of the snaps included their first meeting at the pageant, standing on stage. The last picture displayed the former couple's daughters.

Conrad is survived by five kids from his first marriage, Shane, Joan, Christy, Christian, and Nancy; three children from his second marriage, Chelsea, Camille, and Kaja; and 18 grandchildren.

The "Baa Baa Black Sheep" star was born Conrad Robert Falk on March 1, 1935, on the South Side of Chicago to teen parents. Conrad's dad, Leonard Falk, later worked as a superintendent, and his mom, Jacqueline Hartman, worked as a publicist.

The future TV sensation adopted the name Robert Conrad as a young man and revealed it was because his mom had married numerous times and would change his last name to every one of her husbands. "And I got tired of it," Conrad expressed.

The veteran began his showbiz career as a singer and performed with a trio in Chicago hotels in his early 20s. A friend of his, Nick Adams, persuaded him to move to Hollywood and landed him a role in a film called, "Juvenile Jungle," which he too starred in.

However, Adams stopped filming, but Conrad continued and made his movie debut. After that, he started getting minor roles and appeared in TV shows such as "Sea Hunt," "Maverick," and "Bat Masterson."

Conrad later starred in "Hawaiian Eye," wherein he played Tom Lopaka, but the series ended in 1963. The esteemed star was filming the movie, "Young Dillinger," when he received a call from his agent telling him to audition for one of his most famous roles yet, the Western drama, "The Wild Wild West."

The series made its debut in September 1965 and was on air for four seasons with over 100 episodes before it got pulled off in 1969.

READ: 'The Wild Wild West' Star Robert Conrad Dead at 84

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